Jolla (the company) in financial trouble, laying off staff

answered 2015-11-19 18:01:44 +0200

launchpad
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updated 2015-11-27 18:52:14 +0200

Time / chance for community shareholdership

answered 2015-11-19 22:10:53 +0200

bilgy_no1
7008 ●55 ●100 ●104

What happened to:

"It will be late, but I guarantee you will get it." @anttisaarnio on the #JollaTablet https://t.co/e5WIiybX6q

It's very sad they're in trouble, but also a fact of life for startups. I think Jolla should have been more commercial from the start: why no batteries in the store; they can sell them for 80% margin or even more! TOH's were always sold out. Why not work with mailbox.org to provide a secure and private email service for a monthly fee? Still no paid apps from which Jolla can take a share. All these revenue streams may not be huge, but every little bit helps. If anything, it does show investors that the company can generate recurring revenues, making fundraising a little easier.

answered 2015-11-19 15:33:15 +0200

This post is a wiki. Anyone with karma >75 is welcome to improve it.

updated 2015-11-24 14:41:53 +0200

cemoi71
14264 ●310 ●434 ●439

hehe... I give some good (or bad) ideas for inspecting further money entries...:

• why not ask to nokia to make possible officially to provide their tablet with sfos too?
  
• why not ask to BQ to sell their phones with sfos too ? (they do with ubuntu, why not an other one).
  
• Maybe Jolla could get some money from the Europa antitrust program against a big one (google,apple don't know which one)? I'm pretty sure that the activities of a big one, make jolla life more complicated. And we have in Europa fast nothing of good firms in this branch.
  
• May Finland government some help to some specific firms? for specific market or business
  
• make a viral campaign with the last, money to spread so much devices as it could be that people, speak about it, show it to others... (really mad, but why not?)
  
• Find other investors under the new and really active emergent firms like netflix, or providers. and works on a partner space with them.
• Why not have/search an investor per continent, to widely spread your products easily ? Regarding your community, you have fans from every where in the world, and may have more from every where.

....
I made this as wiki to let other people bring other ideas (good or bad, maybe mad). Maybe it could give some inspiration...

answered 2015-11-20 00:02:21 +0200

Antti22
211 ●2 ●5 ●6

Truly sad news. But I cant say I am that surprised, because just last week I was googling for this news, wondering if Jolla is in financial trouble, because after reading about tablet deliveries being delayed and some other signs, it seemed to be. The only official seller of Jolla in my country (Estonia) did put Jolla on clearance sale a few weeks back and the price was so good, that I as a true Jolla fan bought 5 brand new Jolla phones last week for my small company, to be used as work phones for employees. Trying to spread the love for Jolla. I just could not resist and truly thinking of buying some more just to keep, because the price was ridiculous for a brand new phone with all its features. Even if Jolla phone dies, I truly hope they manage to save the SailfishOS, it is the best OS out there to be used every day. The multi-tasking in Sailfish is truly on another planet compared to Androids and iOs. Also the speed of it is very good, even tho the hardware is quite outdated compared to new androids and iphones. Its not only a fanboy in me talking, because I have used all the latest Androids and iPhones. Just 1,5 weeks ago I walked into a apple store and bought 2 new iPhones, one 6s and one 6s plus. They do have some neat features and the hardware quality is much better, but I still wont switch over from my Jolla, which I have been using since early 2014, because useability on SailfishOS is still superior, even with all its small bugs that might occur from time to time. I might however replace my Jolla with a new Jolla, just because the outside of my used Jolla is not that good looking anymore.

Good luck to all the Sailors and Jolla executives, I truly hope you find new funding and continue this path. For the last 6 months I have been googling any kind of info that might come regarding a new Jolla phone. But no luck. Find a way to make the Tablet more available, because I dont like waiting for my stuff, which is why I didnt crowdfund nor pre-order the tablet. But I would buy it whenever it comes to sale. And im sure im not the only one.

Also, honesty towards your community is key, please dont forget that. There are a lot of fans, treat them right and they will worship you. Treat them badly and they will find themselves hating you sooner or later.

answered 2015-11-19 20:44:36 +0200

Makeclick
808 ●16 ●25 ●30

Please, take some money from us! Jolla is too cheep to own (not bad thing), but you will need other money than only from HW! You do not have adds or anything, why the Jolla not even take money, when someone donate to some app in the Jolla store????

Sold something!! Sailfish ampiances? I don't want to by 7x Jolla phone to support you :D. I only need one.

Donate way is no no (thank you finland laws), but figure out something fast we will help!! Indiegogo "we need more nails and wood"? :)

answered 2015-11-19 19:46:00 +0200

mlwn
218 ●7 ●12 ●18

How many sailers are there around the globe? What's the amount of employees salaries and uncovered costs????

If Jolla puts an amount/user, wouldn't all of us try to collaborate and pay monthly fees till the financial problem is over?

I guess this is a practical and good way to solve the problem, and keep jolla alive...

answered 2015-12-10 10:50:33 +0200

This post is a wiki. Anyone with karma >75 is welcome to improve it.

updated 2015-12-10 16:35:29 +0200

Mohjive
8581 ●166 ●226 ●250

http://www.y3k.se/

There's a new article in the Finnish news, but since it's in technical finnish google translate doesn't help that much. Could someone who reads finnish please translate it?

http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/jolla-horjuu-haudan-partaalla-sai-oikeudelta-rauhoitusaikaa-6236014

answered 2015-11-21 03:56:47 +0200

vaa
286 ●3 ●11 ●17

Jolla communication now appears to be dishonest, not inept as I thought. Looks like Jolla, instead of keeping their promise to deliver a tablet and keep tablet customers privy to the process, misappropriated gogo funds to finance „the other half” of Jolla, SW developement. I accept bad things may happen. But being lied to is not acceptable. Or is there some gag-order in place?

answered 2015-11-30 02:39:23 +0200

juzupuh
596 ●6 ●10 ●13

Last week there was this unhappy news stating that part of the salaries of the employees are not paid since August/September...

http://m.digitoday.fi/bisnes/2015/11/27/jollalla-kuukausien-palkat-rastissa-osa-vaesta-sai-tarpeekseen-ja-lahti/201515747/66

answered 2015-11-19 23:11:52 +0200

Miikka
21 ●1 ●1 ●3

I've being working with software management from companies and as far I am programmer I have the other view (management and business) on software and I have give few problems which Jolla has.

1. C++ Eh, now when I start with this I maybe dig my grave, but the main problem is C++. C++ is reaaaaaally outdated language, it is hard to code and when everything is ready and perfect, you start finding weird bugs, phone crashes usually, etc. and when you start fixing you break something else and you have lost 1000x more time on developing, debugging and in the maintenance of the code even if you are god of programming. I am sad to say this because old Nokia guys from Finland (as I have seen) are the 90's C++ programmers. When they need a tool for their software they make it with QT and C++, spit on to the agile programming and doesn't comment or write enough documents. This is the problem. I have so many holes in the phone that is contingently crashes. People should have used python, GO or even Java and this wouldn't be a problem because with those languages you push features not code. It's not always about the speed or the resources. If you need speed and resources e.g. with python, extend with C. This also affects the apps, now when people makes apps with C++ the apps are pure Linux command line apps with automatic command under Jolla's own hidden dropbox menu. You have ugly software with ugly buttons and the only thing you win is that the flashlight button is 3ms faster than with higher level language.

Well you can make Android apps but then you lose a lot of possible features.

1. The hardware

2. It's horrible and this should be only software. I understand that in the beginning there was a need for HW, but now the system needs to drop it and start using some kind of licensing or something and making the SW more open. You can't push more features if you don't have enough hands, if you want more hands, you need to be more open.

3. Camera

4. The phone's camera is horrible and this is the number one thing why people (non-90's Linux coders) change from the Jolla.

5. Unreliable software

6. Crashes, the millions of crashes I get. The terminal which I need to use to get my auto correct away. I don't want to do those. I just want good and simple phone which just works 100% out-from-the-box and it is easy to use without internet guides and it looks good. Yes the main UI is great but still I am sorry to say this that this was maybe the largest mistake which I have ever made. Last January to the release of Sailfish 2 the phone just crashed multiple times a day and that was the final nail to the coffin. I am mainly kernel driver programmer but my phone should be for 3 year old babies. I just want my phone to be just a simple tool with extensions, not pocket Linux.

7. No clear markets

8. You have problems with money and it is because no one want's your phone. It is made by old programmers to programmers. It should be "programming artists" to the public. If you add Linux extension features and the fastest superturbo pocket computer (SEGA) you get 10 000 in sales. If you make a simple, working and technically not so brilliant phone which looks good and which pleases the public (Nintendo), then you get 100 000 000 in sales. It seems you have taken the Sega path.

How to archive this? Damage is already done. Everyone who has Jolla has told to other people that don't buy the Jolla. First it was a great utopia and people bought it. It has been destroyed by the bad management and lack of knowledge in modern software development. Next phone I have is probably One plus or Windows phone because I don't care if they analyze my information if the OS just works and I don't have to fight with it all the time. All the best for you, and I hope this feedback helps. It might get a lot of negative stuff but I don't care this is my last visit at together.jolla.com. All the best.